Episode-502- Bugging In vs. Bugging Out – Answering with Logic
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Do I stay or do I go! Not just a great old song by The Clash but an ongoing debate and topic of discussion everywhere preparedness is discussed. Some are sure they will bug out, they have a plan to live off the land (good luck with that) and others just know they are going to guard the fort and hunker down. The reality is this is one of those issues that is very situationally dependent. The same person (if they act with reason and logic) will choose different answers. To help me formalize this process I developed 12 questions to ask yourself both in advance of and during a disaster to make this decision with logic vs. emotion.
Tune in today as we consider the following…
- Logic vs. emotion
- Which choice gives you the best chance of survival for the scenario at hand? (this is not always clear)
- How well prepared are you to bug in?
- What exactly are you prepared for? (a forest fire is far different from local rioting)
- Have evacuation orders been given?
- What is the nature and probable duration of the threat?
- Well staying put change anything as far as “saving your home”?
- Where will you go and how will you get there?
- Do you own a bug out location or have double up plans or no place to go at all?
- Will you be able to help your community if you stay?
- What will the impact of staying or going be on your family, can they handle what you can?
- What can you take with you and what must you leave behind?
- If you leave what exactly is waiting for you at your destination?
The time to answer these questions is not in the middle of a disaster but right now. At this point you can plan, form contingencies and be prepared for a variety of outcomes. That way if the day comes your mind is ready to act and you can make the best use of the resources you have. As always how you act and how you think is more important then your resources.
Your mp3 file is numbered 503.
Howdy Jack,
Just wanted to say I very much appreciate that you stress that your obligation is to make sure your family is safe. When I lived out in the country and the weather would turn ugly, my ex would jump in our 4×4 and take off, supposedly to see if anyone needed help, which translated into, “I am stupid and want to go out just because they say to stay in.” That left me at home alone with two small kids. I would always ask him what was I supposed to do if we needed something……………..no cell phones in those days. He would tell me to call 911. That is part of why he is the ex!!!
Everyone should make sure their family is safe and then if you have a skill that would be beneficial, by all means, offer to help.
Thanks for all you do. As many others have said, I now feel much more prepared for whatever comes along and surprisingly, I don’t panic about much of anything anymore. It amazes me that being in control of what I can be provides such confidence in so many areas of life.
You do good stuff buddy, keep it up. 😉
swoods
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great stuff Jack! So many people have the “Gonna grab my gun, knife and backpack and live off the land” attitude..
Its great to hear someone talking about the thought process that you need to have when deciding which direction to go!
My family has the prep plan you describe and its great, it gives us tons of options to go for if we have to bug out. Not that there is anything like a “survival compound” involved but if one house is bad, the other one will be safe…
I think the most important thing is knowing what you will do before you have to do it..
As they say,”Knowing is half the battle”!
Thanks again!
The Ridge Runner
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Loved what you said about facebook today. When an EF4 tornado struck my high school on June 5, I found out on facebook before the news and I was also able to get in touch with my mom, who lives less than a mile from the school, and I knew my family was okay. My mom and I both were able to talk to my friend, whose husband was out making sure his family was okay, and she was freaking out. Without facebook, I would have been a complete mess worrying about my family as there was no telephone communication at the time. And now we’re using facebook to help get support to raise money to rebuild the high school. Thanks for the perspective!
Bug In or Bug Out has always been our dilemma. Great tips in this show for making that important decision.
RE: Facebook.. I wouldn’t use it for years, but it has really made it possible for me to stay in touch with my family. They are all 300+ miles away, yet we are able to talk to each other every evening.
We have lived @ our bug out location now for 10 years. It has given us plenty of time to prepare for the un-seen. We are TOTALLY independent of the power system & have extra supplies of food, ammo & water. One has to be prepared for the “just in case” event.
Another great show Jack, thanks.
Like that you are stressing to be prepared…most of the time you don’t think about stuff like that but it’s good to have a plan…also about facebook…it really is a great way to keep in touch with people…actually for most of the people I know they’d probably check their fb account first! Great show. Thanks.
Jack: in this show you state that your family can be out the door in 45 minutes. This in my opinion is a show in itself. I want to hear how this is done. Thanks.
Like the last comment. I would like to know some guidelines for when you have to actually bug out. what actions are important to load up and go? I know…get guns, food, dogs. kids….wife? and drive. Anything else I need to think about, My wife will think I have gone nuts if I start making up laminated lists of what to do when TSHTF.
Keep up the great work Jack!
@John L and J*,
I don’t know if there is a whole show in it. The simple answer is we could be out in 5 seconds, the BOL is fully stocked, 45 minutes if to grab wants, comfort items and food and guns and ammo. If I did not have a stocked BOL this would not be feasible.